


“In Rao We Trust”

by JaneQDoe



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F, Fever Dreams, SuperCat Slam
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-29
Updated: 2017-03-29
Packaged: 2018-10-12 11:08:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,807
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10489539
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JaneQDoe/pseuds/JaneQDoe
Summary: Take a little Black Mercy juice, a pinch of Wizard of Oz flavor, blend until chunky with an off-brand spaghetti sauce.Heat, and serve with pot-stickers.(PS - if you weren’t aware, Rao is the name of the main Kryptonian deity/sun.)





	

Kara Danvers hated shopping on mornings before work. 

She had to be extra careful what she bought, since anything that needed to be kept cool would have to be squeezed in some already-packed office fridge or freezer. It was always busy with an odd mix of shoppers - other professionals picking up lunch items or cake for an office party, and retired or unemployed people or stay-at-home parents wrangling kids who had LOTS of time to linger in the aisles, usually right in front of whatever Kara was trying to grab and go. And, no matter how well she planned, she almost always ended up being late, which was not a good idea given her boss’s quick draw temper.

This morning wasn’t any different. She’d overslept after yet another night of strange and fantastic dreams, and had to skip a shower in order to swing by the local supermarket chain, when she really wanted to hit Whole Foods. The small dinner party she was having after work wasn’t a huge deal, just family and friends, but everyone was coming over fairly early. Kara would rope those with culinary gifts into helping, so the prep work wasn’t a problem, but there surely would be no time to shop, so here she was. The problems of being a last-minute kinda gal.

“Spaghetti sauce or pizza sauce? What the hell’s the difference?,” the tall blond muttered as she scanned the shelves, zig-zagging around the looky-loo’s meandering the wide aisles and wrestling her own cantankerous cart. How did she always manage to get one with a wonky wheel?? The sale tags popped in their neon colors, but the usual Ragu, Prego or even Paul Newman’s jars didn’t appeal to her today. Time was ticking, and then a totally different brand and packaging caught her eye.

Rao’s Homemade Spaghetti Sauce. Below it, Rao’s Homemade Pizza Sauce.

All the sound in the cacophonous market stopped, as if it was sucked away from her. Kara’s field of vision narrowed to those two shelves, and that one name. Rao. What an odd name for a sauce? She was sure she’d never seen that there before. For the briefest of moments, Kara swore she heard her sister Alex’s voice:

“Kara! Kara, can you hear me? I love you...”

Before she could turn and look for Alex, which was ridiculous since Alex hated this store and should've been at her lab hours ago, another shopper’s cart lightly bashed into Kara’s and she was back fully in the present. After exchanging distracted apologies, Kara tossed a jar of each of the varieties into her cart and headed to check out.

“Oh, that’s new - I’ve seen that sauce on the shelf but never tried it, is it good?” The friendly cashier asked, smiling, as she quickly swiped all of Kara’s purchases over the scanner. 

Kara shook herself out of the daze to answer the attractive woman, who was about her height with smooth cocoa colored skin. Her name tag read “Megan.” “Oh, I’ve never tried it either, first time. I guess the strange name jumped out at me. You can’t have too much spaghetti sauce, right?”

Megan agreed. “That is a pretty unusual name. Wonder what it means?” Before Kara could posit a guess, the total popped up on the register. “That’ll be $24 even.”

Falling back into the routine of checkout, Kara swiped her credit card and took her receipt. Wishing Megan a good day, she grabbed her bag of groceries and headed to her car and on to work.

****

“What’s on the famous Danvers menu tonight, pal?” Winn asked, rolling his chair over to her desk sometime after lunch. “James and I have a nice bottle of red with us, but we can stop off and get something else if it suits better, or anything else you need us to bring.” 

Winn had been her first friend at Noonans, one of the top advertising and marketing firms in National City. They’d started out together, along with the third of their trio James Olsen, practically in the mail room, as newbie college grads. And now, after 3 years, Winn was a rising star in market research, James the assistant media director, and Kara reported directly to the creative director Susan Vazquez (she the boss of the fearful temper) for marketing and copy-writing. Their fast friendship had almost been totally derailed when both James and Winn (separately, thank heavens) admitted to having crushes to Kara. Not ON Kara...but on each other. She played matchmaker very well, Kara decided. They’d just moved in together after a year of dating, into a loft Kara’s sister like to call “Techno-hippie” in style. Kara was happy for them. Truly. Totally happy for them, just...a little lonely for her. Still, the boys tried hard not to make her feel like a third wheel during friend time.

Kara looked up from the advertising copy she’d barely been editing. She’d been distracted all day, barely touching the small green salad she’d brought for lunch. “Well, something Italian, spaghetti and eggplant parmigiana I think? Easy stuff. Oh and Eliza’s famous meatballs of course.”

Winn rolled his eyes at her. “Easy for you, Martha Stewart. Those of us mere mortals in the kitchen must survive by trial and error..” He was gearing up for a dramatic speech, until Kara put her foot on the base of his chair and shoved him back to his desk.

“Just bring the red and we’ll see you after work,” she huffed at the effort of moving him. Winn was just playing like they usually did, but Kara was unusually out of sorts today. Ever since the grocery store and that stupid sauce that sat in it’s brown bag in her backseat. Although, those strange dreams had started several nights ago... ‘Why am I acting this way?’ she thought. And again, that sound tunnel effect. And a voice:

“Honey, you need to...” 

Eliza? Kara actually did look around at that, jolted out of it only when someone dropped a stapler nearby. Of course Eliza wasn’t there, she was across town, probably bent over a microscope or in the middle of a lecture to her students. This day kept getting stranger and stranger...

Finally, she cobbled together enough of an edit Vazquez wouldn’t fry her on the spot, and headed home to the three bedroom house she and Alex shared located about half-way between their respective employers. The family home where they’d grown up was just on the outskirts of National City, in what had once practically been beach front. The growing, sprawling city had encroached quickly, but it was still nice to be able to go home again, even if it wasn’t quite what she remembered.

It was lucky Kara ducked out early, which she liked to do on Friday’s anyway, since Alex’s car and the other Danvers vehicle were just pulling in behind her. Everyone hopped out and hugs were exchanged as the 4 adults headed into the house, carrying various work and grocery bags.

The kitchen was soon abuzz with activity, TV news on, sauce cooking, meatballs heating, Alex trusted only with the salad construction. Kara realized she had inadvertently taken one of the grocery bags into her bedroom with her work bag. “Thank God for Fridays,” she thought, shaking her head at her own scatterbrained-ness. Maybe she was getting sick? She spotted the bag, tucked next to her Coach purse tossed on the bed.

It was of course, the bag with the Rao sauce. This time, Kara got physically dizzy and heard the distant voices she’d now come to expect say only: “...spiking...” in a deep voice that sounded oddly like the TV anchorman Hank Henshaw. Before that could process, she stumbled backwards into a firm body, who quickly steadied her.

“Hey, pumpkin, what’s up? You feeling ok?” 

Kara relaxed and smiled. “I’m good, Dad. Just a little discombobulated today.”

Jeremiah Danvers gave his younger daughter a squeeze before releasing her. “Ok. You looked for a minute like you did when you were 2 and we took you...” 

Kara held up a hand to stop his reminiscing the embarrassing story, one of dozens he loved to tell from her clumsy toddler days. She patted him on his broad chest. “No, thank you. I know what story you’re going to tell, and that’s not how I look, so stop right there Daddy-o. I just came in to get some stuff I brought in here by accident. This new sauce.” She offered her dad one of the jars. “You ever heard of it?”

The scientist took the bottle and thoughtfully inspected it. “Nope, can’t say I have, but your mom’s pretty brand loyal to that Paul Newman kind if she doesn’t have time to make it from scratch. Although...” he spun around the back so she could see. “It does look like it’s a local company, that’s good. See the address?”

Kara hadn’t even gotten around to looking at anything but the weird name, which was unusual since she kept a strict eye on her caloric intake (pretty boys didn’t like fat girls, after all). Her father was right - on the back of the label was written: “Proudly Made and Bottled in National City, CA. Comments and suggestions welcome 24/7 at our corporate offices at 49 Grant Lane.”

Jeremiah watched as his baby girl dropped to the bed, and dropped the sauce at the same time. His concern, as always, was his child, so he ignored the mess that was surely to result and reached for Kara. She zoned back in quickly, thankfully.

“Oh man. Did I drop it, did it break? Uggghhhh. I’m okay, I’m okay.” She looked down from her seated spot on her bed, but instead of shattered glass and tomato remains, there sat the intact bottle. Right side up even. “Daddy, did you...”

“No, not me - my reflexes aren’t that fast these days. It’s pretty sturdy. Or it had something to do with the density of the glass and that it’s full...” he trailed off, clearly imagining an experiment dropping spaghetti sauce jars with varying levels of emptiness onto different surfaces. Kara knew those looks very well - all 3 of her immediate family members got them, and had as long as she could remember. Kara loved her parents and sister dearly, but it did sometimes make her feel left out when they went all science-geeky together and she could only roll her eyes. She had no more innate interest in science than in chasing a Chinese food truck around town with Winn. In her darkest moments, when she’d been fighting with Alex or ignored by her parents, it made her feel like an interloper. Like she didn’t really belong and wasn’t supposed to be there. 

Well. That line of thinking wasn’t going to make for a pleasant evening. Kara shook it off as best she could, and grabbed her dad by his beefy arms and steered him towards the kitchen. “C’mon Dr. D. You can tell the other 2 nerds about it and write it up later for the funding committee.”

***  
The next morning, Kara found herself in her sedan, far earlier than she usually liked to get up on Saturdays. But the compulsion had been there when she woke up, and by now she couldn’t even think of fighting it. At least she felt a little bit better, not as ragingly hot. Her helpful phone app soothingly relayed directions as they motored across a sleepy National City towards an industrial district near the Bridge.

The food and the party had been a hit, as usual. Winn and James adored her parents, and Winn’s sister Maggie had been able to make it too. Everyone tried to play it cool whenever Maggie and Alex were talking. Apparently, from Alex’s death glares and Maggie’s purple nurple to her little brother, as a group they were not very good at ‘playing it cool’. But it was nice to see. Another duo, another romance. Kara was thinking about it before bed - that left almost everyone she knew, everyone in her immediate circle, all coupled up. Her parents, Winn and James, potentially Maggie and Alex. Her boss Vazquez was dating Kelly in accounting. Even her stupid cousin Clark, who couldn’t seem to settle down and do anything for long and went ages without checking in, had one steady thing in his life - he had a Lois.

Her thoughts before bed were thus decidedly melancholy - especially since she kept doing that weird zone-out thing the rest of the night with increasing frequency. Eliza popped open the Rao’s as they fixed dinner and declared it edible, and Kara could swear she heard Alex again, in that faraway voice, talking about a fort and a myriad of something. A myriad of sauces? Did they serve it at the fort? Should she just ask Alex? Oddly, the group around her seemed to stop noticing these little frozen moments - maybe they were just being polite.

She heard Alex’s voice a lot, and sometimes Eliza, and every now and then Winn and James, maybe Vazquez once, and Hank Henshaw again. Kara’s logical mind knew that these were all people (or voices) she had interacted with during the day...but why was she hearing them now? And what the ever-loving hell did that damn sauce have to do with anything?! And in a much smaller thought, almost as if she was afraid to ask: why didn’t she hear her father’s voice?

A night of strange dreams again, of weird and fantastical things, interspersed with what she could only describe as hot flashes. Kara wasn’t anywhere near menopausal, and was usually in pretty good health except her allergies and the flu every year, so that was a little worrying. She kept dousing a washcloth with cold water and putting it on her face and neck. That helped for a while, to get her comfortable enough to go back to sleep. “If I don’t feel better tomorrow, I’ll go to the minute clinic and get it checked out,” she decided.

Finally, she pulled up at a boho-chic looking warehouse/office. It was oddly out of place, but maybe they didn’t get many visitors. Not a lot of people wanted a tour of a sauce factory, Kara figured. Not a lot of people were drawn here like she was.

She walked into the main lobby, only to be somewhat startled by a large pink cat sculpture - which came almost to Kara’s waist - dominating and lurking from a prime spot in the corner. A friendly laugh came from across the room at the receptionist desk.

“Don’t worry - almost everyone has that reaction to her. It’s meant to be eye-catching that’s for sure. Hi, I’m Lucy.” A petite brunette with crystal green eyes walked over and stuck out her hand, which Kara shook gently. “Are you here for the ten-cent tour? We don’t get many visitors.”

Kara felt her body start to zone out, but this time she could fight it, or rather, work around it. Lucy didn’t seem to notice anything was off, and gestured for Kara to follow her. She may have been explaining how the factory was built, or where the recipe was developed or her thoughts on Game of Thrones, but Kara frankly didn’t hear a word. The voice echoes were so strong now, it was getting difficult to distinguish Lucy’s voice from the others, and at times she could’ve sworn she heard Lucy’s voice in echo, but saying different things. The only thing that penetrated Kara’s foggy mind was:  
“And now, we’re going to meet the creative minds behind this little venture. I think you’ll be impressed. They’re quite unique.”

The two women walked through a set of swinging steel doors, like you’d find in a restaurant or a hospital, into an aromatic room, where several pots bubbled happily away on several stoves. The room was empty, except for a tall figure in black at the other end, clearly testing ingredients in a sauce pan. It was hard to hear, Lucy seemed not to notice, but a light, familiar melody hummed through Kara’s ears and could only have come from the woman. Kara hadn’t heard that song since she was a little girl...

Lucy chuckled. “I tell her she reminds me of Macbeth’s witches. ‘Double, double, toil and trouble; fire burn, and cauldron bubble.’I think she likes it.” They continued on along the long room, with it’s equally long prep-kitchen counter tops until they were just a short distance from the creator. “We have a visitor, don’t you want to meet her? She’s really interested in Rao.”

The woman spoke before turning around. “I’m sure she is.” At that, the chef slowly moved to face them. She was about Kara’s height, with pretty blue eyes and dark hair...the ebony waves broken only by the white streak on the side of her face. “It was always her favorite festival day as a child on Krypton.”

The fragments and her memories came rushing back like the crisp, cool ocean waters off the beaches of Midvale that Alex first dunked her in at 13. This truth wave, instead of drowning her, buoyed Kara above this subterfuge, washing the life she thought she knew and loved away: marketing, she and Alex’s cozy house...Jeremiah...it faded. That wasn’t who she was. Not really. Not fully. She wasn’t just Kara Danvers. She was Kara Zor-El, and she was Supergirl.

“What’s going on Aunt Astra? I don’t understand.” She turned only to find Lucy had disappeared, as if she’d never been there.

Astra moved to embrace her favorite niece. “I know Little One. You’ve been so brave...”

Kara yanked back and stared. “Wait. Am I dead?! I don’t wanna be dead. And I don’t want you to be dead either, I mean! No dead people!” 

Astra chuckled. “No, child. You’re not dead, it’s not your time. And I’m just a figment, as we all are, of your mind. There’s someone else here who wants to talk to you about that. But I think you probably guessed, didn’t you?”

Kara had known that, somewhere deep down. There was one person, one important person, who had been totally absent from this little adventure, even in voice. The void they left...no matter how much she loved her other friends and family...that void remained. Waiting for the one and only person who could fill it. She nodded, and Astra made a grand gesture towards another set of doors Kara hadn’t seen before.

“You Kryptonians and your dramatics. It’s like living in a world with nothing but Bette Davis and Joan Crawford clones.”

If Astra had not been holding her in a side hug, Kara would’ve slipped right to the floor. But after that moment’s shock, her mouth regained function. If anyone could help her, could guide her along the right path - it wouldn’t be Astra. Astra herself had been led astray, even as much as she dearly loved Kara. There was one person who’s advice, who’s counsel, no matter how snarkily it was sometimes delivered/offered, never failed to help Kara find the right thing to do and to understand herself better. It would be...

“Hi Cat.” A simple phrase for a complicated situation. Said with a sigh, as if the Cat-shaped space in her life had suddenly been redeemed.

Cat Grant smiled back at her, elegant even in the dream world in a Prada suit and...bare feet. Well, she deserved to be comfortable too. “There’s my extraordinary, astonishing former assistant. You’re almost there, Kara. Tell me what you know. Impress me.”

“I’m dreaming, aren’t I?” Kara had pretty much pieced it together, as her memories and dream world life shimmered and solidified at the same time.

“In a way,” Cat nodded. “You’ve been sick, something you picked up in space after your big heroic world-saving toss, but your body’s fighting the toxin, finally, and you’re getting better by the hour. And, since this gig comes with a nifty bit of mind-reading, I’ll answer your next questions: You didn’t see Astra until the end because your mind knew she couldn’t be real. It would’ve destroyed the illusion since the pain of her death is so recent.”

Kara wrapped her hands around Astra’s arms. “I love you Aunt Astra, always. I wish I could’ve saved you, I need your help.” Her beloved aunt turned and embraced Kara firmly. Even as she spoke though her voice got fainter, her body less substantial.

“I wish that too, sweet Kara. I never stopped loving you. You are a credit to our family and to your planet, the very best of all of us. Serve this planet and this family well, and carry our memory, and Rao’s light, within you always, Little One.” With that, the image of Astra In-Ze vanished in Kara’s grasp. Kara dropped her head for a moment, absorbing the loss yet again, and Cat was quiet until Kara looked up and spoke.

“So, is that just me telling myself what I want to hear, in an avatar that looks like my aunt? Are you going to declare your undying love and lust for me now? Whisk me off to some fancy island, where we’ll lie in the sun drinking margaritas, and make love all night?” 

Dream world Cat perked up at that, eyebrows raised over sparkling hazel eyes. “Is that what you’d have me do? How very exciting. I hope you remember that part when you wake up. That’s definitely something that can be arranged. We’re obviously figments of your mind and imagination. But...we’re based on all your knowledge and memories of us - even things you didn’t know you’d observed. Like Alex and Maggie’s attraction for example, when you just saw them together that once - they’ll probably be officially dating by the end of the week. I’m honestly not sure where Whitt and James’s Big Boyfriends story comes in since my gaydar is usually more on target, but live and let love, I say. I’m perfectly happy to have them both drooling over each other instead of on you. As you’ve said, and no doubt noticed...you are mine, Kara.”

Cat continued, since Kara was struck dumb with desire. Cat had that effect in all dimensions, and didn’t even have to be real for the effect to work. “Now, your other question. You haven’t heard my voice because frankly I just got here, to the DEO and into this fantasy, I suppose. When you wake up, I’ll probably still be pissed at Director Henshaw, although Baby Lane has been a god-send. It took an unreasonable amount of time to get me emergency clearance. Carter sends his best, of course, but there’s no way I could bring him out to this conspiracy-laden sand-castle. You were...calling out for me.”

Cat walked even closer and held Kara gently by the waist, leaning back a little to look up into her eyes. “We’re here waiting. Not Jeremiah. And not Astra. I know that hurts. But the rest of us are here, and we would very much appreciate you snapping out of it, the sooner the better. There’s a lot of people who want to see and talk to you. And of course, I’d very much like to continue that nice little kiss you laid on me as Supergirl before going off to save the planet. You’re safe, surrounded by those of us who care so deeply for you. We need you. National City and the world need you. You’ve had a rest, now it’s time to come home.”

“There really is nothing like a Cat Grant speech, you know. When I wake up, you’ve got yourself a kiss coming, Cat.” Kara snuggled her close, enjoying a brief moment as she felt time brushing against her like a stream, nudging her to wakefulness.

“Yes, indeed, Supergirl. I’ll hold you to it.”

In their last few minutes in this dream world, Kara had one last question. “Why can’t I hear your voice in the real world now that you’re here, like I did Alex’s and Eliza’s?” 

Cat laid her hand on Kara’s chest, right over where the House of El crest would be. “You don’t need to, darling. Because you’re going see me very soon. Because you’re going to to wake up...right...now.” 

Before the sound of Cat snapping her fingers left Kara’s ears, her eyes popped open. To see the transparent lid of a DEO sunbed. Damn. Cat was good.

***

After she’d been poked and prodded and examined, and unwittingly recreated the “And you were there, and you, and...” scene from the end of Wizard of Oz, Kara finally had a moment to herself. Upon her awakening, Alex and Eliza along with Dr. Hamilton swung into action and kicked everyone out so they could assess her reaction to their last treatment. Sunbeds are good for Kryptonians, but not those with fevers, so they’d jerry-rigged a combo sun bed/ice bath until her reactions settled down. Kara felt better, but not well, so she had at least another night as a guest of the DEO before she’d get to go home.

When it was just the Danvers women in medbay, Kara tried to explain a little of her dream world. She mentioned Jeremiah (which made them smile), but not Astra’s appearance (which wouldn’t have). Or Detective Maggie Sawyer. Alex needed to figure that part out on her own. Kara struggled to explain how it felt, how real, and what some of the experience meant - why spaghetti sauce?

“Sometimes honey”, Eliza said, stroking her daughter’s hair lovingly, “a fever’s just a fever.”

A while later, the rendezvous she’d hoped for finally happened. Cat was dressed casually for her, in ebony slacks and a cashmere sweater that fit her well. Very well. Kara explained a little, mostly what she’d told Alex and Eliza, except she did tell Cat about her dream world ‘business partner’. Cat asked why she thought Kara’s mind had paired the two of them.

“Because the two of you are, represent I guess...what I want the most. I want Astra back, to have another chance with her. Get her to follow the right path. Feel her hug me again, and sing me my favorite lullaby.”

Cat slips her hand into Kara’s and squeezed, as Kara fought back tears. “And,” an uncharacteristic hesitancy worked it’s way into Cat’s voice, “why do you think I was there with her? Am I some sort of... lost cause?”

Kara slid off the sunbed, keeping Cat’s hand. “I think you know, Miss Grant. You’re a really good guesser, like prize-winning good.” Kara grinned, and gently pulled the small human closer, so they were almost touching, and used her other hand to tentatively touch the side of Cat’s face. “I’m tired of leaving things unsaid, Cat. Too dangerous in my line of work. So...”

Before she could finish her speech, in mid-sentence Kara found herself also mid-kiss. Those luscious lips she’d literally dreamed of slid against her own, as Kara wound her arms completely around Cat and held her tightly, their bodies touching from chest to thigh.

Kara chuckled as she entwined strands of Cat’s hair between her fingers, as they broke apart for air. “I can’t believe you kissed me when I’ve been sick, you germaphobe.” 

Cat smirked, in too good a mood to care about being teased. “I’m probably not susceptible to the same things you are, darling. Just goes to show I must have really wanted to do it. Like I’ve been wanting to do it..again ever since the last time, in fact. Let’s put the kibosh on the nearly dying though, shall we? At least for the time being? I...“ And then Kara astoundingly witnessed the strongest woman she knew choke up, over HER. Kara had Cat tugged tightly back against her before the tears could even emerge, brushing her lips across her forehead as she’d dreamed of doing.

Eventually, the women broke apart, Cat’s famous equilibrium quickly restored. “Get better, Supergirl. You’ve got to get ready for our date.” Cat smirked as she began to back away, letting her arms drop from where they’d ended up around the sexiest neck Cat had ever seen. The things Cat wanted to do just that body part alone...

Kara wanted with everything in her to follow, and continue their delightful new wordless way of communication, but she knew Cat was being the strong one and let her fingers card through Cat’s silky blond hair as the other woman walked backwards. She had healing to do, powers to regain, and apparently...a date to plan for. Before Cat left the room, Kara called after the woman whose lighthouse always led her home. “Cat? Anything but Italian, okay?”

The End

**Author's Note:**

> Note: This brand really does exist. If I could figure out how, I'd post a picture here, but I'll have to settle for Tumblr (JBthegift). I first noticed it in a local Florida grocery store about 6 months ago and took a quick pic. It popped up again in another chain more recently. Thus, the idea was born, back-burnered, and came back around. I have no idea how it actually tastes, so no endorsement implied LOL. But if you try it, let us know!


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